Kevin Keegan's third coming was supposed to herald a golden new era of attacking football.

But resolute Bolton, who haven't won away all season, forgot to read the script.

Newcastle's biggest crowd of the season - 52,250 - rolled up high on expectation and anticipation, but the Magpies barely troubled Bolton keeper Jussi Jaskelainen in a game that was a massive let-down after all the Keegan ballyhoo.

The new manager's side was stripped of four Africa Cup of Nations absentees - Obafemi Martins, Geremi, Habib Baye and Abdoulaye Faye - plus three suspended midfielders in Emre, Alan Smith and Nicky Butt.

And Joey Barton was still not considered match-fit after his Christmas spell in jail and last week's court appearance.

It all meant Newcastle were desperately short in central midfield with no recognised senior players available.

Keegan brought Czech central defender David Rozehnal in as an emergency schemer alongside Charles N'Zogbia and gave striker Shola Ameobi a recall up front in place of calf injury victim Mark Viduka.

Bolton, who sold top scorer Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea earlier this month, also had their injury problems, forward duo Heidar Helguson and Ricardo Vaz Te both being ruled out.

And they went into the match without El-Hadji Diouf, whose double gave Bolton a 2-1 win at St James' Park last season.

But Trotters boss Gary Megson, himself a former Newcastle player, had strengthened the squad with two new signings. In came Icelandic defender Gretar Steinsson, a £3.5million capture from AZ Alkmaar, and midfielder Matt Taylor, a £3m buy from Portsmouth.

There was another boost for Megson when former Sunderland schemer Gavin McCann passed a late fitness test.

Keegan moved to quell suggestions of a rift with Michael Owen over comments he made in a book by making the striker skipper in the absence of club captain Geremi and banned stand-in Smith.

The atmosphere at kick-off was electric with chants cascading down from the stands and thousands of black-and-white scraves being waved. But it was the workmanlike Bolton side, playing 4-5-1 with just Kevin Davies up front, that made the more enterprising start.

The visitors had three corners in the first four minutes and forced Shay Given into admittedly routine saves to keep out efforts from former Magpie Andy O'Brien and Kevin Nolan.

Newcastle were slow getting into their side and their only real early threat came from a series of teasing crosses from the lively N'Zogbia. But neither he nor Rozehnal could get any grip on the first half and Newcastle lacked guile and flair.

After the short but dour Sam Allardyce era, the Toon Army had rolled up expecting an avalanche of attacking football. But this was far from the swashbuckling football that Keegan's side served up in the mid-1990s.

Without the presence of Viduka to win the aeriel duels Newcastle found it almost impossible to penetrate Bolton's central defensive trio of Steinsson, Andy O'Brien and Lubomir Michalik.

Owen was an anonymous figure in the first half as his makeshift midfield struggled to provide decent service and Ameobi looked like a player who hadn't played first-team football for months.

The early passion of the crowd dropped a few decibels as the fans realised Bolton hadn't come as sacrificial lambs. And when the half-time whistle sounded Newcastle still hadn't managed a serious shot on target.

Keegan's first team talk in more than three years seemed to inject more purpose into Newcastle's play after the break.

Their spirited start re-ignited the crowd and at long last the team actually looked threatening in the visiting penalty area.

The main threat was coming from the overlapping runs of Stephen Carr down the right.

The Republic of Ireland defender stormed into the box to find space, but his international compatriot Damien Duff couldn't get the ball under control at the far post.

Then Carr shot over from 22 yards as Newcastle for the first time in the game seemed to rattle the resolute Bolton defence.

But when N'Zogbia shot wildly over from a free-kick 25 yards out the groans highlighted the fans' frustration at their side's inability to hit the target.

There were huge shouts for a Newcastle penalty when Ameobi went down under challenge from Ricardo Gardner in the box.

But replays showed that Gardner had cleanly played the ball before the striker tumbled.

Jaskelainen was called into significant action for the first time on 65 minutes when he tipped over James Milner's swirling centre that looked like creeping under the bar.

Bolton captain Nolan, who had picked up a yellow card, was replaced by Ivan Campo a few minutes later. And Bolton almost snatched it at the end when Shay Given made a glorious, match-saving block to deny sub Jloyd Samuel.

Now Keegan must face a massive dose of reality as he faces a double test against Arsenal at the Emirates.